Rotary engine.



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(No Model.)

W/TNESSES No. 685,646. K Patented Oct. 29, |90I.

R. SANDERSON.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed May 3, 1901.|

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No. 685,646. Patented 0G17. 29, |90l.

R. SANDERSDN.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed May 3. 1901.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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W/ TNE SSE S /N VE N TOI- ganan er/afzzdefa/z I ,2, I Eys UNITED STATES PAT*ENT OFFICE.

ROBERT SANDERSON, OF NELSON, CANADA.

`ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,646, dated October 29, 1901.

Application iled May 3, 1901.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT SANDERsoN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a .resident of Nelson, in the Province of British Columbia and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and Improved Rotary Engine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a rotary engine having an annular cylinder and a gate or gates working across the same to close it and with apiston moving in the cylinder'and arranged to strike the gates and by its engagement with certain parts thereof to throw the gates to open position, thus permitting the passage of the piston, the gates being arranged to return automatically to closed position after t-he piston passes them.

This specification is a specific description of two forms of the invention, while the claims are definitions of the actual scope thereof.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this specication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a side elevation of the invention with parts broken away. Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the piston. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective4 view of one of the packing-segments. Fig. 5 is a detail View showing the gear for actuating the gates. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the engine with parts in section.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a indicates an annular cylinder mounted on a suitable base a'. The cylinder is provided with bridgebars a2, extending across its diameter at each side and carrying the engine-shaft b. Tothis shaft is attached the web c' of a piston c through the medium of a collar c2, fastened to the shaft b and suitably secured by bolts or otherwise to the web c. The web c projectsthrough a slot a5 in the. circumference of the cylinder and is packed by segmental packing-glands a4, working in packing-boxes a5, formed on the inner circumference of the cylinder a. By this construction a steamtight connection between vthe parts c and a is effected. The piston cis fitted steam-tight within the cylinder and is fastened to the web c', so that the movement of the piston will impart movement to the shaft b. The

Serial No. 58,610. (No model.)

a and at opposite sides thereof are casings d,

in each of which are tted, respectively, the

sliding gates e. These gates work toward and from each other and serve to' close the cylinder at points adjacent to the casings d, solas toform an abutment against whichthe steam-pressurey may exert itself. The approach of the piston `is utilized to throw the gates into the open position shown in Fig. 2, so that the piston may pass. This is eected through the medium of the cams e2, pivotally .mounted to swing outward away from each other into cavities a6, formed in the cylinder o. adjacent tothe vcasings d. These cams e2 are toothed on their outer edges, as shown best in Fig. 5, and these teeth of the cams e2 mesh, respectively, with teeth formed# l on the gates e. There are two pairs of cams side of the gates and one memberof 'each pair being meshed, respectively, lwith the groups of teeth on the gates. gates are moved together, as shownin Fig. 5, the action of the various teeth will cause the members of the pairs of cams to be `moved together, so that they will occupy the posisition shown in the last-mentioned iigure.

When the e2, and these" are'arranged one pair oneach .As the piston approaches and engages its cam-shaped shoe c3 between the cams e2 these t latter cams will be spread, and the action of the teeth thereon will cause the gates e to bek The piston is then free to pass IOO may be reversed to drive the engine in either direction. To this end two steam-chests f are attached to the cylinder andy carry, respectively, valves f,`commanding feed-ports arranged in the cylinder at opposite sides of the gates e. These valvesf have stems f2 attached thereto, the stems passing upward through guide devices f3, mounted in the cylinder a. The valves f are given the necessary movements through the medium of con necting-rods g, which are attached, respectively, to the valve-stems f2 and to an eccentric-strap g', working on an eccentric g2, fastened tothe shaft b. The throw of the eccentric may be regulated at will by an arm g3, which is con nected with the eccentric-strap and works with a quadrant g4, held on the cylinder a and disposed eccentrically to the shaft, so that by the adjustment of the arm g3 the eccentric will be adjusted to increase ordiminish the movements of the valves. The lever g3 is allowed a slight swinging movement on the quadrant g4, so as to accommodate the movement of the eccentric.

h indicates the steam-supply pipe, which leads to a casing h', in which is arranged a valve h2, by the adjustment of-which` the steam may be led into one of the chestsf ex elusive of the other, and vice versa. This valve 712 therefore serves tocontrol the direction in which the engine is driven, since by letting the steam into one steam-chest the engine is driven in a direction different from that in which it would be turned were the steam led to the other steam-chest.

t' indicates the exhaust-pipes, which pass from suitable eXhaust-ports`in thecylinder a.- These ports are commanded by valves 1,", and the valves t" are thrown in time with the valve h2 through the movement of arms i2 on the valves, such arms being connected to links t3 andthese links being in turn connected to the handle h3 on the stem of the valve h2. When the valve h2 is thrown to reverse the engine, the valves i are operated in unison. It should be understood that whenthe parts are adjusted to throw the steamsay, for example, into the right-hand steam-chest f-the right-hand exhaust-valve z" should be closed and the left-hand exhaustvalve opened. When the engine is reversed, it will be 'necessary to reverse the exhaustvalves'according to this principle.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. An engine having a cylinder, a piston working therein and having a cam-shoe thereon, a gate movable into the cylinder to command the same, and a pivoted cam having vtoothed connection with the gate and adapted connection with the gates, the dogs normally extending into the cylinder, and a piston arranged to move continuously through the cylinder, thepiston being capable of engaging the dogs to throw them and the gates apart.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination of an annular cylinder, a gate movable across the interior thereof to close it, aypiston moving continuously through the cylinder and serving to throw the gate momentarily outward to permit the passage of the piston, an engine-shaft carrying the piston and driven therefrom, valve-rods, means for driving the valve-rods from the engine-shaft, valves respectively actuated from the valve-rods` and `arranged on opposite sides of the gate to control the feed ofthe motive Huid, a reversinglvalve controlling the admission of the motive uid to the first-named valves, exhaust-valves, and connections between the reversing-valve and the exhaust-valves.

l. In an engine, the combination with the engine-shaft and valves, of an eccentric fastened to the shaft, a strap on the eccentric, a rod connected to thestrap, a quadrant, means for loosely and adj ustably connecting the rod to the quadrant, and connections betweenthe valves and opposite sides of the eccentricstrap. y

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence oi' two subscribing witnesses'.

i ROBERT SANDERSON.

Witnesses:

F. ScHomELD, Ross THOMPSON. 

